WASHINGTON (July 18, 2012) – British investigators closed their investigation today to find the culprits who stole and distributed emails from East Anglia University related to work and discussions of climate change science. The investigators found that the hacking incident was not conducted within the university, and abandoned efforts to bring the real culprits to justice.

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the co-author of the only climate change bill to pass Congress and the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement:

“While the real culprits of this crime remain on the loose, climate change science has only become more solid in the years following this incident. The fact that our world is warming, our climate is changing, and pollution from fossil fuels is primarily responsible are all open-and-shut cases.

“It is only the doubters deployed by ideological zealots and fossil fuel interests who are holding back action to address climate change, and they will be defeated in time by overwhelming scientific evidence. The only question is how soon will the deniers be exposed for their crimes against the environment, and will we have enough time left to avoid the worst effects of global warming. That case remains open, and for humanity to decide.

“For those who continue to question climate science, I would suggest that we name the new giant hunk of ice that just broke off of Greenland ‘Denier Island’. Then we can invite those deniers to take a break from the heat, the drought, and the wildfires in the United States and spend the rest of their summer there rethinking their position.”